We cruised with overseas Adventure Travel and loved the ship. The food on board really emphasized the food of the region, and the chef was delightful. He really cared that people liked what he served. The cabin was nicer than expected. It was very well designed and comfortable. We had a small balcony-we were traveling in March and it was cool so we didn’t use it as much as we would have liked, but it was nice to pop out in the morning while we docked, or to check the weather. The cruise worked out so both sides of the boat sometimes had a better view, so one side isn’t better than the other. There is one large lounge-comfortable with books, games, etc, and a variety of seating. This was our first small boat cruise and it was much more relaxing than a larger ship. We would sail on this ship again anytime. I will review the activities on the OAT website. Read Less

My husband and I wanted to celebrate our 45th anniversary in style so we chose the Queen Victoria. We have been on the other two Queens and were very pleased. We live in south Florida and just didn't want to do the Caribbean again. We booked our cruise in March of 2018 and were told by the agent who took the booking that if we took an interior guarantee we'd probably end up with a window or balcony. Wrong - we didn't get our cabin until just before we sailed and it was a very large interior but next to the pool pump for the Hydrotherapy pool on the floor above. To make up for the noise that went from 7AM to 10 PM the ship gave us a $300 on board credit. There were no other rooms for us to move into. The cabin stewards were wonderful, we never had to ask twice for anything. The entertainment was the best we've had on any cruise. The lectures were wonderful; Our one complaint was the food. Many nights the food was over cooked, dried out. We were so disappointed in the food that I doubt I'd take another cruise on this ship. Read Less

Xmas and new year cruise to the canaries From embarkation to disembarkation it was everything we expected Arrived at the port 10.15 checked in and on by ten fifty five Balcony Cabin 4042 near stairway A no issues quiet location the balcony had a solid front which didn’t cause any issues A very calm transit through the Bay of Biscay Food and waiters in Brittania we’re excellent best we have had (Alex and Jeffrey) New Year’s Eve was spectacular We enjoyed all the ports, disappointing that we didn’t get into Madeira, this was due to the weather, it was not safe for the tenders, very scary watching other tenders going into port Would highly recommend a very good cruise The only negative I have is the high costs of the drinks and the cost of spa treatments, if only they reduced the prices t am sure more people would indulge Read Less

This trip was an opportunity that came up and though it wasn't an 'ocean liner' I was very excited to experience a luxury cruise line. As a solo woman traveler who loves to dance, the knowledge of their dance hosts had me polishing up my dance shoes. Embarkation was short and painless. Though I had been scheduled for a 3:30 embarkation, I was nervous that would be too late to get settled prior to the safety drill. I arrived at 1:30 and there was no problem boarding at that time. No more than 6 people in line and any slowness was due to the pace of the slowest passenger. My cabin was ready at this time with luggage arriving within the hour. I haven't had an internal cabin in 40 years, so this was essentially a new experience for me. Though considered small by some, it was ample for one person. Closets were spacious and designed for people with suits and fine clothes. Drawers under the bed could hold the luggage. Bed was very comfortable and there was a choice of pillows. Bedside lighting was a little dim for reading if you didn't also use the over bed ceiling light. Soundproofing was much better than experience on other lines....that or people were just generally quiet. I did have a few negative thoughts. There is no seating for reading. The only chair is a desk chair, but the desk is covered with the coffee making set up and as it is also the hair drying location and plug for curling iron, it just was all too crowded. I can understand needing the coffee table for room service, but that corner could have taken a well designed arm chair for those who like to actually use their cabins. The bathroom was comfortable with adequate storage. The shower heated quickly and though a plastic shower curtain, I had no occasions of cling. The negative here is that the shower was very slow to drain......like 20 minutes. If I had long hair or needed to condition my hair, the water would have overflowed. My wonderful steward Alisha reported this several times, and I could hear them working on it more than once, but it just did not improve. 2 people trying to shower in a row where going to either have to wait or mop up the overflow. This cruise fell over Christmas Day, so the ship was nicely decorated for the Season. There were little sprigs of (fake) greenery in our mail slots as well as a small tree decoration in the cabin. A large gingerbread village was a wonderful endeavour. Trees were dotted all over the ship. These became challenges as the first day or so out of Southampton were rough and the trees had to be retethered several times. I enjoyed the Christmas carol service, watching the Captain read Twas The Night Before Christmas to the children aboard, but I think this is my one and only time away from family over Christmas. I am not much of a joiner, but there are plenty of events to choose from throughout the day. For those who like a quiet read or activity, there are places onboard that provide quietude, if not solitude. There is ample space for everyone on board. I was slightly apprehensive about set evening dining. I am quite used to dining alone and can become impatient with table mates when it isn't a good mix, but I was lucky with my allocation. There were a good number of solo travelers on this cruise and Cunard worked at setting solos together. We had a table with about a 50/50 split of ladies and gents. I was the youngest at 61 with the oldest at 88, but we seemed to mesh well and a smaller group of us often went to the theatre together after dinner, or did shore visits together. I utilized breakfast room service some days but prefer the dining room for most meals. The buffet has a good selection but can get bogged down during prime meal times. The weather in some ports was nice enough that the out door grill was open. The bean burger was particularly good. I enjoyed the food very much particularly what my table mates called 'strange' items. Over the 12 days, I ate frogs legs, pheasant, venison, guinea fowl, pigeon...and I expect some other game items I have forgotten. I find on cruises these tend to be tender and carefully cooked, so I was not disappointed. At times standard beef was returned by table mates, or chicken was 'boring'. My occasional beef (prime rib) was excellent and done to my preference. There was goose for Christmas Eve dinner and a traditional turkey dinner for Christmas....complete with plum pudding. At times the first course was difficult to interpret and not what expected from the description. At times, also very small, but serving sizes were generally sufficient if not expecting North American size servings. One could indulge without necessarily gaining weight. I did not go to all the entertainment in the theatre, but I enjoyed what I attended. I also liked the daytime guest speakers, however, one may want to consider retiring, or reducing the content to allow for a slower, more accurate presentation. Slips of the facts or using incorrect names had the audience mumbling the corrections under their breath several times in each of his presentations. I was a little nervous about whether I would meet the dress code, particularly for formal nights, but there was a lot of 'comfortable' clothing on board. It wasn't the casual clothing seen on Caribbean cruises by 'American' cruise liners, but a lot of wash and wear fabrics, and more than one gent had comfortable shoes (canvas sneakers and even Crocs) worn with their tuxedos. They were at least black. There were some stunning gowns, but in general, nice clothing that was comfortable. The themes were not embraced by a lot, but there was an unexpected group that went in for Christmas day time wear - jewelry, flashing lights, theme sweaters and head gear. Some of it spilled over into dinner dress, but very few. The young in spirit group. The cruise was all (and more) than I expected and I enjoyed it very much. It hasn't made me a Cunard convert yet, but it will be the marker used to measure cruises in the future for a while, I imagine. Read Less

We were soon on the ship after arriving in Southampton. Our stateroom was a standardbalcony. It had new carpets, bed and settee all good after the recent refurbishment, the bed cover was a really nice blue and we were please to see a bottle of bubbly in an ice bucket ready for us. This room had a nice large television as well. The Captain at the lifeboat drill warned the ship was going into rough water and she was spot on as soon as we reached the Eng Channel. Many people told me they had been sea sick and did not recover until the end of day two when the ship reached calm waters. After this and on the way back we had very calm seas. The ship was very well decorated for Christams and looked lovely, everything was well organised, the ship had an air of calmness. We were given a very nice Christmas card and matching Christmas menu and a present each. Our state attendent Hernando worked tirelessly and there were no issues in respect of the cabin. We loved the free room service especially the brekfasts and lunch sandwich's and warm apple pie and cream!! Time spent in the gym soon got rid of the excess treats. The gym staff were very committed and although I do my own excercises, those that asked for help and training were well advised. Ethan from SA always said hello, even when busy, which was a nice gesture. Although not a fan of gyms in the past I felt good here and felt encouraged to go everyday!. The ship employed several hosts, who danced at the parties no one was pressured to join in, The Spanish hostess Silve had a nice personality and as the floor was never empty guests soon got up and the parties went well. In previous reveiws I had notedthe cost of wine on the ship and this needs looking at as a matter of urgency. Cunnard have the ability to buy good wines at a price which means they can make a profitand sell wine at a price lower than £10.00 a class plus 15% SC. Our bar bill was thelowest ever and this is not to the benefit of the ship sales or staff wages. The weather was particularly good in Tenerife and we had a lovely sea day on Christmas day to enjoy all outside decks and pool. There was always a seat on top deck and there was table tennis and short mat bowls, which was fun. However all too soon we were heading back, with this cruise from Southampton in December you are going to have several days when you are not going to be able to use the outside areas. I would have like to have seen the Officers including the Captain more round the ship, especially on the decks and in the lido doing unannounced spot checks, as this helps to maintain high standards thoughout the ship. Having said my experience was that overall the crew gave everything and I was lucky to share Christmas aboard with them on this lovely ship Queen Elizabeth. Read Less

For my first ever cruise I wanted it to be an unforgettable experience on what I thought of as a "classic" ship, ie one with a black hull, white decks & red funnels. Which is why I ended up booking my maiden voyage on a Cunard ship! From the outset we were very impressed: the Art Deco interior appealed to us greatly, as did the attentive service and friendly staff. Not knowing whether I'd take to cruising, I booked the cheapest cabin option but was still content with the room, even though it was windowless. Frankly, it made little difference as we spent the minimum possible time in it as we enjoyed either the ship's facilities or going ashore opportunities to the full. It seems that Cunard has addressed the niggles mentioned by CC's official reviewer as, for example, the staff in the Lido restaurant were falling over themselves to fill & refill my coffee cup and were only too happy to help guests to their seats with their plates. The entire experience was most enjoyable and - compared to an equivalent stay in a 4.5 / 5 star hotel - excellent value for money. The rigourously enforced formal dress code after 6pm in most areas of the ship appealed greatly, as a welcome short-term respite to the "come as you please" trend that currently holds sway in society. Whilst we were prepared for - and attracted to - the inevitable maturity of our fellow travellers (we DID NOT want our first cruise experience to be on a "party boat"!) we did not expect, as a couple in our 50s, to be amongst the youngest people on board, which was the case. There were a couple of niggles but nothing too serious. For example, the use of the Spa area was an additional cost option, and the formal, complementary cream teas offered at 3.30pm daily were served by surly, seemingly disinterested waiters. But all in all it was a most enjoyable first foray into the world of cruising. Read Less

We have been on the Queen Victoria before and it has always been a favourite of ours and it did not disappoint. We had a wonderful suite with a full sized Christmas tree as an added bonus. The Butler and his assistant were fantastic and nothing was ever too much trouble for them. Our suite was always kept pristine and we never lacked for anything. We travelled with our adult daughter so we wanted a second bedroom and bathroom and the suite provided both (although it could be too big for just two people, it all depends on what you are looking for). The Head Maître’ D and Head Waiter in the Queens Grill restaurant were brilliant (as usual) as were the rest of the staff. My daughter has food allergies and they could not do enough to ensure she had a great gastronomic experience. The ship is superbly appointed throughout and the crew in general are very friendly and courteous (just remember to return the friendliness and courtesy to them). We have always enjoyed the Enrichment Program and always proves to be very enlighting. The entertaiment on the ship we have always found to be very average with the occassional highlight. However we were disappointed that they did not have the fencing on this cruise. The ports and shore excursions were good but not brilliant but we knew this before the cruise so they met our expectations. If I have a criticism of the crew, it is with the officers of the ship that seem to refuse to engage with the guests and can be very stand offish. Cunard is the only cruise line that I have experienced this with. Just a point of note, the ship can be quite formal at times so if you like a laid back type of cruise you should do your research before embarking on a Cunard cruise. For us, we would like less formality but it is worth putting up with just so as we can experience the White Star service. We have already booked a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth for January 2020 and we are looking forward to sailing with Cunard again. Read Less

We just arrived back home after sailing for 10 nights around the Canary Islands and Madiera. We originally were booked in a Queens Grill Q5 Cabin, but we received an offer from Cunard of purchasing an upgrade to Q1, which we chose to take up. For us it was very exciting to be sailing on the QV but to be sailing in a Q1 (The Aquataine Suite) was beyond exciting. We arrived at check in and everything went smoothly. We were on the ship very quickly and we were met at the entrance by our Butler who personally showed us to our suite. The Suite itself is amazing, absolutely huge and well fitted out. A bottle of Lauren Perrier Rose Champagne was on ice for us along with strawberries dipped in chocolate. Our Butler and Steward were both excellent and catered for all our needs. We missed our first lunch in the QG Restaruant as we were late arriving at the ship so we were both very much looking forward to dinner. When we originally booked our Q5 suite, 14 months ago, we booked it on board the QE and we specifically requested a window seat in the restaurant. However once we upgraded we felt that we would automatically be given a very good table. Much to our dismay on arriving in the restaurant we were placed on a table which was quite small and abutted a wooden pillar! Consequently my hb rather than being able to look out towards the sea view looked face on to the pillar.The table was also placed at an odd angle so my hb was also sticking out into the pathway of the waiters. Of course my hb spoke to the Maitre 'D who said he would try and move us. Ironically we found out later that the new couple who were in the Q5 suite we had previously booked, were on a larger table situated in the middle of the huge window! Anyway by the end of dinner the Maitre'D had been able to find us a new table which was as we originally hoped, with full window views. Our first night had therefore been tainted a little with this incident, but we didn't let it ruin which was so far a lovely time. However the first night in our suite was terrible! The sea was a little rough and consequently the ship was rolling a little, but this in itself didn't bother us as we have cruised many times. What was bad was that everything in the suite was rattling, creaking, banging...I felt that the whole room was going to break off and fall into the sea! Not what I expected at all. It was so noisy that both I and my hb just couldn't sleep. We informed the Butler the next morning but all he could offer was a door wedge for the worse offender! Obviously I believe this is a design fault in some way. There is a sliding door between the clothes hanging area and the doors to the toilets which just did not work, consequently it had been wedged open with a door stop. The Butler said he had informed maintenance as it had been like that for some time but nothing had been done so far. The rest of the journey continued to cause similar noises and bangs, depending on the severity of the sea. The engine noise was also very noticeable but we were expecting that being at the back of the ship. Our first morning we asked the Butler for our Ipad, which we had been told on our arrival would be brought each day and our choice of newspapers would be downloaded for our convenience. IT would then be removed in the evening in order for it to be updated. Unfortunately the Ipad never arrived, we asked the Butler twice, the concierge about 3 times but it never did arrive throughout the whole trip! The last disappointment was the width of our very long wrap around balcony. It was only approx 5 .5 foot wide and therefore the only way to stretch out in the (very little) sun was length ways, and the only way to look out to sea was by sitting upright on a chair. When we had been in a Q5 last year the balcony was much wider. It's a pity because I think they have unnecessarily sacrificed balcony space in favour of more room space even thought the rooms are already huge! Overall we had a fabulous trip but there were some downsides to this suite as I have pointed out. Would I go on QV again, yes without a doubt - would I choose this suite again....close call!! Read Less

The voyage was to the Canaries from Southampton. At the start , we were a little apprehensive due to the Bay of Biscay but the ship handled it well despite the 4Mtr swells. We had superb food in the Britannia restaurant and Lido, probably the best to date. We were also glad to see that Cunard were maintaining the dress code, I did not see anyone who was not dressed to the correct standard. The dress standard is what Canard is all about. The dining staff were extremely attentive and were very keen to try and please. The ship was decorated beautifully in readiness for Christmas, we even had a small Christmas tree in the room. Our Stateroom was very comfortable, the Cunard staff could not do enough for us, nothing was too much trouble. The enrichment activities were wonderful, in particular the NASA talks by Jim Kennedy. Overall the evening entertainment was to a high standard in particular the Cunard show called Hollywood nights, especially the new introduction of the "Greatest showman" which we thought was stunning. Most of the evenings involved late night drinks in the Commodore club listening to a pianist/singer. Overall a fantastic cruise Read Less

This was my first cruise and I was delighted with all the delicious and varied food, the spectacular shows, the service, the members of both service to the booths and entertainment were always helpful and friendly I really do not have any complaints. The ship is amazing and all its beautiful locations. I was lucky to be served by Gopal and Dominic every night at the Main Dining and they were the best waiters in the world and the best I have ever had in my life they were very kind, funny and very helpful, if I have the opportunity to take another Cruise would choose the same and of course Gopal and Dominic too. Thanks to you, we spent one of the best holidays of our lives with my family, with my eyes closed I really recommend rhapsody of the seas. I really liked that at every entrance of every restaurant, bar, theater there was disinfectant soap, what a great idea. Keep doing and amazing service and incredibles shows Read Less